Marketing's Role in Cybersecurity
As CMOs and responsible leaders we must play a proactive role in cybersecurity. I've kept the language light in this blog series in hopes you would read until the end because otherwise this would be just too depressing to get through for a the league of optimists that we are. However, this is a very serious topic with very serious consequences for you and the organizations you serve.
Here are five things you can start doing differently today.
We all need to get and stay smart on cybersecurity. While I know some things because it’s the industry I’m in, it changes every day and cybercrime won’t go away so keeping current is key.
We must build our modern marketing infrastructures with security in mind, partnering directly with the CIO or CSO on it. It is that important. Drive a conversation about how the IT security teams can better protect the marketing infrastructure and respond in the event of a breach. If we aren’t working with the IT security team, we are working against them.
We must insist that vendors go through security audits and that we ask as many questions as we can about their ability to protect and defend your data and any possible entry points into your environment that can affect other parts of the business.
If your company doesn’t have one, build a crisis communication plan for a breach whether or not it’s considered your job. If you need a motivator to get people behind it (or just an adrenaline rush), stage a breach exercise for an offline version of your website in partnership with your CIO and see what happens. In building your plan, force a discussion about disclosure policies and get straight about the definitions and protocol for communication. If nothing else, get a good crisis communication firm approved as a vendor so you can phone a friend if you need it.
We can help our business by taking the lead on internal communications to employees, consultants, and partners about the risks of cyber threats and help IT educate everyone on password credentials and hacking tactics so everyone can be smarter.
Nothing can be more damaging to a brand’s reputation than a hack in the headlines. And as marketing leaders, our personal brand depends on the company we keep. Let's do our part.
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